Have You Ever Had Time You Worked Disallowed or Taken Away?

The Postal Service uses the Time and Attendance Control System (TACS) to capture work hours employees spend performing various mail processing operations. Employees record their time and the operations they work by swiping electronic badge readers. Each badge swipe records time in TACS and is referred to as a clock ring.

Supervisors may add, change, or delete clock rings to ensure that all employees have the correct combination of work and leave hours as dictated by their schedules. In addition, when a supervisor observes or knows that an employee did not work while "on the clock," the supervisor may disallow any of that time the employee recorded and then must document the basis for it.

We initiated this audit based on congressional concerns about timecard adjustments at 13 postal facilities in the Greater Boston area. Our objective is to assess whether employee timecard adjustments at select facilities in the Greater Boston District were conducted in accordance with Postal Service policy. Our focus will be on disallowed time — i.e., time that was taken away — for letter carriers.

If you have experienced timecard adjustment issues, we would like to hear from you.

What has been your experience with timecard adjustments and disallowance of time (time taken away)?

Why did the supervisor disallow your work hours?

Were you notified by the supervisor when your work hours were disallowed? Please explain the details of this notification and whether the disallowance of time was properly documented and justified.

What suggestions do you have to improve the timecard adjustment process?

Comments (34)

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We meaning the IMC carriers will not let these egregious acts of blatant thievery just go away like every other time its happened across the country. We stand united, not only as a union but as human beings. Richmond Virginia carriers file suit we will have to do the same if need be and expose what's really going on at the United States Postal Service and in particular the Boston District.

Management now at the IMC is feeling empowered by the lack of response on the time manipulation by OIG Team that they are forcing IMC stewards to remove all 200,000 plus documents out of the IMC office and are no longer giving UNION OFFICIALS time to investigate their thievery . I think its time to hire an a wage theft attorney and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. Lynch and Capuano"s office asked OIG to investigate any alleged allegations of wrongdoing by Boston management well we have strong evidence at the IMC union office so OIG what are you waiting for? The same people that stole from us are hindering the unions investigation in wage theft something that should be very alarming to the OIG office.

I started with the USPS in November 2017. Being new, I was often told to work 7 hours and not take my 30 minutes for lunch. The lunch time was automatically taken from my time worked. When I asked my supervisor, I was advised ‘don’t worry about it.’

Elizabeth don't go to your supervisor they don't care plus after what IMC stewards have uncovered over 100 postal supervisors manipulating carriers clock rings only proves that its a systemic problem throughout the Boston District. They no longer deserve our trust! Go to your shop steward and demand he or she pull your everything report which shows all. If your steward does nothing call the union hall and demand they look into the matter.

The OIG Office of Audit is currently conducting an audit into the disallowance of carrier time in the Greater Boston District. We will be gathering information and if appropriate we will provide our results to our Office of Investigations to determine if criminal violations occurred.

If criminal violations occurred ? Why don't you go to the IMC and go into stewards office where they have almost 200,000 of pages of Everything reports with over 100 supervisor/managers deleting actual begin times , actual end times thousands and thousands of times, and changing them to avoid paying overtime and penalty double overtime to hundreds of unknowing carriers. For no proper reason no proper legal federal government forms 1017A forms or 3971 forms if that's not a reason to open a criminal investigation then we don't live in the United States of America.. Everything Reports is all the evidence you need shows supervisors EIN# and what time they manipulated a carriers ACTUAL CLOCK RINGS!!!!! I'm sure the stewards will open the door to their room for OIG,

It is not right I have been working at the IMC for over 30 years these supervisors got promoted for stealing time from me and my fellow letter carriers after the union does what they do I will be getting a lawyer and suing them personally on my own I have already spoke to a lawyer and he can’t wait to get started

The federal law is clear. 18 U.S.C. 1001 reads: "Except as otherwise provided in this section, whoever, in any matter within the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the Government of the United States, knowingly and willfully 1.falsifies,conceals,or covers up by trick, scheme, or device a material fact; 2. makes any material false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation; or 3. makes or use any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any material false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or Entry; shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years." Doesn't this law apply in this case?

Shop stewards were told that you would get back to them with OIG WHISTLE BLOWER PROTECTION FORMS. Where are they? Will you get back to them with their concerns of retaliation by supervisors managers and the Boston Postmaster ? Your online slogan states "Report waste, fraud, and abuse" well they have and for it are now being retaliated against with aggressive and abusive supervision and dozens of discipline being issued to carriers causing an hostile environment to work .

Oh and by the way I thought they said if anyone messes around with your clock ring it’s immediate removal.... but that doesn’t apply to them cause they (management)keep doing it if you (OIG) don’t do anything about it we will take legal action

My husbad has been working for the PO for 25 years and has been stolen from by his supervisor for years now grievances didn’t stop them warning didn’t stop them so you must stop this because our family relies on my husbands pay check and his supervisor has no right to steal from our family without any reproduction

Until something is done about the nepotism within the Boston District it will never stop!!!!!! They just keep covering for their brother, Uncle, Son, or Godfather. It’s cute that the recently retired District Managers brother works for the OIG out of Puerto Rico, I believe. It’s cute that the local Union starting investigating the theft of wages by Management in March of 2017 and less than 3 months later the District Manager retired. It’s cute that the OIG said they were investigating this months ago yet they weren’t until two Congrssman got involved and asked for some answers and it showed up on the local news. It’s cute that some in Management who stole from hardworking letter carriers were allowed to put in there papers and retire. It’s cute that no one thinks, believes, or can prove that this didn’t come from some high ranking official within the PO, because quite frankly when the OIG does speak with those involved it will become abundantly clear that most if not all of those Supervisors involved weren’t smart enough to know how steal all those hours in the devious way the did without someone else telling them how to do it. It’s cute that the PO keeps promoting the Supervisors involved to different Districts it’s like the Catholic Church move them around and around and around and the PO hopes no one catches up to them. Well hopefully they will be caught. But I’m not holding my breath that anything will be done because OIG works for USPS they are one entity. It’s literally in this websites title uspsoig.com It’s cute that not one of those Supervisors has been put EOD without pay yet had it been a carrier who did what they did they would have been placed EOD immediately. So OIG unless you are really going to hold people accountable and fire and prosecute those who stole then you will prove my point and the point of every carrier in the Boston District, that you really could care less, and that it’s ok to steal from carriers!!! Please OIG prove me wrong and hold any and all involved in the theft of time and wages accountable no matter how far up the chain they run!!!!!! And the only way to stop this from happening again is to hold them accountable, prosecute them to the fullest, and seek restitution from them, and take their pensions!!!! I bet that will deter others from thinking about doing this again!!!!

Sunshine you nailed it!! they don't promote the best and brightest they promote the criminals, the drunks, the abusive , and nepotism is rampant in Boston promoted no matter what even if they were former junkies, drunks or anger issues "son you will follow my steps no matter what" as one manager tells his former carrier son... its a joke and carriers will never respect these people.

It is not just on the city carrier side...Right now the rural craft are going through a 2 week mail count. How about OIG start pulling files on last mile delivery statistics for product from UPS and FEDEX...Pull the 6 weeks before mail count, the 2 weeks of mail count and the 6 weeks after mail count. Even a blind accountant could see the discrepancies and would ask what happened to cause the tremendous down turn in totals during the 2 weeks of mail count. You figure it out.

taking time away happens all over the country! just get the unions to give you the grievances that have been filled. THIS HAS TO STOP! managers get promoted when they falsify records when they should be FIRED!

I'm aware that promotions are out of OIG audit scope just showing you the hypocrisy of Boston management team. But what I think is not out of OIG scope is whether a criminal intent and or crimes were committed by supervisors and managers in the Boston district. As an IMC carrier for over 20 years who was manipulated hundreds of time costing me hundreds of dollars without my consent is illegal. I also agree there needs to be a system where carriers are made aware of any manipulations and or changes in our actual clock rings much sooner, because its well known 1017a's were not used and is a failed system that has cost carriers money they deservedly earned. Thank you OIG for looking into this

The Office of Inspector General is in the early stages of an audit regarding the disallowance of carrier overtime and penalty overtime. This will include a review of Time & Attendance Collection System data and controls over the disallowance of time. All postal employees are entitled to be paid for the time they worked and disallowance of clock time must be documented as time not worked by the employee’s supervisor. We will review suggestions to improve the time card adjustment process during the audit.

Today we find out supervisors that manipulated our clock rings hundreds of times preventing us from getting overtime pay are now being promoted to higher positions one in Tewksbury,Ma and another in Framingham ,MA why are supervisors who manipulated our time cards being promoted. The Boston postmaster is now insulting Boston letter carriers with these promotions when they are under investigation for time fraud. OIG MUST UPHOLD THE INTEGRITY OF THE USPS . Morale is down and all trust in Boston's management is completely lost.

We will include a review of Time & Attendance Collection System data and controls over the disallowance of time. Our report will identify recommendations to improve the process. Promotions are outside the scope of this audit.

They have disallowed my time in the boston district....what these supervisors have done is a crime...the time it takes a supervisor to log into a computer go into an employees tacs report and to take time away from the employee without having the proper documentation is a willful, deliberate and outright malicious act...this is middle class hardworking employees that are having their paychecks affected which is affecting their lively hoods ...it is a crime and if any supervisor took away enough money out of a carriers paycheck that would amount to a federal crime such supervisor should be prosecuted in federal court...in my years as an employee i have seen OIG and postal inspectors wait months until a letter carrier has done enough crime to prosecute the letter carrier in federal court...now its time to add up the amount of money that supervisors took out of letter carriers paychecks and prosecute them in federal court if they took over a thousand dollars out of letter carriers paychecks....a way to improve time card adjustments is give it back to level 7 clerks and when they need to do an adjustment it needs to be authorized by a higher authority...also make a system that an employee can input their moves into a system that can be tied in the tacs system and if any changes are to be made that are different than the carriers input the carrier will be alerted and higher up management will be alerted as well..

Our audit is reviewing controls over the timecard adjustment process and disallowance of time. Your suggestions regarding higher level notification and approval will be considered in developing our recommendations.

With all due respect to the postmaster from mid Carolina's. OIG what we are talking about here in Boston is a deliberate and calculated attempt by Boston supervisors and managers to avoid paying overtime at all costs. What's going on in Boston is dozens and dozens of supervisors and managers deleting carriers actual begin times, end times and changing them to avoid paying overtime. Another way they schemed to avoid paying overtime is extending carriers lunches beyond 30 minutes as you are well aware Mrs. Postmaster when a carrier makes a move to street TACS automatically takes a 30 minute lunch away.

As President of the local APWU, I currently have a case where a station manager manually input a 1/2 hour lunch, when the clerk never took a lunch, to avoid 1/2 hr of penalty OT. The clerk was gainfully employed for the entire day and chose not to take a lunch because of customers out the door. While the clerk shouldn't have taken that responsibility on themselves, the station manager should not have disallowed the time.

Its not just time disallowed being taken from carriers in the Boston district its extended lunches, deleted begin times and end times to avoid paying overtime and penalty time for thousands of manipulations for thousands of hours stolen from carriers by over a hundred supervisors all done without notifying employee or proper government forms ie.1017a and employee generated 3971's. OIG your investigation and audit will find thousands of examples of federal crimes being committed question is what will OIG do this time to these criminal activities in Boston and quite frankly across the country..

They changed my time and I am supposed to recive Out of Schedule pay 36 per pay period. They just wont pay. 2 other clerks as well.
they also use the carriers no lunch sign up to
disallow pay by sliping the time into a lunch
which is a lie
this happens much all over.

I am a postmaster in mid Carolinas district. We are given instruction by our district office that all clocking errors must be corrected before we leave every day. The problem with this instruction is carriers forget or end tour incorrectly creating the error. Then we have to enter a time to clear the clock ring. This is wrong. We are guessing the end tour time. We should wait til the following morning and the employee should fill out a ps1260 and sign it. We then have the appropriate documentation with the correct time. We should never fix a begin tour or end tour without this ps1260 simply to clear errors. Employees must be held accountable for clock ring errors. This is the key. It takes a lot of postal resources because employees cannot perform a basic task.

What I find funny is we do call and complain we do offer facts and evidence and oig doesn’t do anything unless they get pressure from above or the public. I filed a co plaint over month ago for clock ring fraud and guess what.... nothing. This is why people go to the media instead of the oig

I retired June 2017 from the USPS. As a former NALC Union Steward and Branch officer for over 25 years in Amherst MA, there were numerous instances I became aware of supervisors changing clock rings. It was usually to avoid payment of penalty overtime because, "DISTRICT" would be very upset! I always broke out the ELM and showed them the correct procedures for "Disallowing" time. I can't say how many time this happened, but the supervisors felt they had the right to change any employee's clock risings with impunity. Never once saw a PS Form 1017-A completed by a supervisor. Thanks.

It has been about 13 years, but when I was a craft employee a Manager, Distribution Operation (MDO) disallowed one week of overtime I was mandated to work with the Sr. Operations Manager's knowledge. Management did not notify me that my time was being disallowed nor was it documented or justified; a pay adjustment was made. I only became aware of it when my pay didn't add up to what I had calculated it should be - and I requested a printout of my clock rings which showed the time had been disallowed.
My time was disallowed so that I would not show up on the overtime report that upper management was reviewing closely.
My suggestion would be to take it out of the hands of so many people (managers) and designate it to a person (with integrity) per tour.

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